Following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, Canada’s Jewish community endured a surge of violence and intimidation, including shootings, firebombings, vandalism and protests outside synagogues.

This explosion of antisemitism prompted award-winning designer Revi Mula to co-found Canadian Women Against Antisemitism (CWAA), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to combating Jew-hatred and gender-based violence.

“When Oct. 7 happened, we asked ourselves what we could do,” said Mula, who currently serves as vice president of the organization, in an interview with JNS. “After one massive protest, I called one of the other founding members, Esther, and told her I wanted to go sit at a police station and refuse to leave until I felt safe.”

Mula recalled, “Esther said, ‘Revi, you’ll get arrested. We’ll think of something else.’ She began gathering like-minded women, and that’s how Canadian Women Against Antisemitism was born.”

In its annual audit on antisemitism released this month, B’nai Brith Canada reported a 124.6% increase in antisemitic incidents from 2022 to 2024. The total number of reported cases reached 6,219 in 2024—the highest since the organization began tracking incidents in 1982.

These included an attempted arson at Schara Tzedeck Synagogue in Vancouver (May), shots fired at a Jewish girls’ school in Toronto (also in May), a motorcycle-riding suspect throwing stones at Toronto-area synagogues (June), and anti-Israel protesters chanting antisemitic slogans outside a Montreal synagogue in November, in defiance of a court order.

“Our original platform was to support women who had no strong voices standing up for them,” said Mula. “Women process events like Oct. 7 differently. We are mothers and sisters—we see and feel it in unique ways.”

“On March 25, 2024, we held a major rally, the second-largest after the one organized by the Federation in Ottawa. Over 3,500 people attended—mostly women. That’s when we realized we had to push for real change. We began focusing on policy and advocacy,” she said.

CWAA operates as an independent organization, Mula explained. “We don’t rely on anyone. We’re not beholden to a big board or donors. That gives us the freedom to do what we believe is necessary to advance our cause,” she said.

One of CWAA’s proudest accomplishments, Mula said, was the dossier it compiled on Samidoun, a pro-Palestinian organization. The dossier was sent to the federal government, and soon after, Samidoun was officially listed as a terrorist organization.

“We were raising the alarm for six months before the dossier was completed. The U.S. government had already uncovered significant evidence of Samidoun’s financial ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the combination of findings helped push Canada to act,” said Mula.

As Canada prepares for its April 28 federal election, CWAA recently endorsed the Conservative Party in its newsletter. Mula shared the reasoning behind that decision.

“In November, we met with Minister of Justice Arif Virani. Before that, we spoke with hate crime units and police in Toronto. They told us they needed a legal mechanism to arrest individuals for possessing terrorist paraphernalia—clothing, reading materials, etc.,” Mula said.

“We drafted legislation and presented it to the minister. He shut us down, claiming existing criminal code provisions were sufficient,” she said. “Now, during election season, they suddenly promise to take a closer look. We pleaded for action, went to multiple Liberal MPs—and they weren’t interested until they needed our votes. That was the tipping point.”

Mula said the Liberal government had “abandoned” the Jewish community over the past 18 months.

“There are many reasons we disagree with Liberal policies that go beyond Jewish issues. But when it comes to protecting the Jewish community, supporting the Conservatives became the safest and most effective path forward,” she said.

CWAA has been in contact with several Conservative figures, including MP Melissa Lantsman, whom Mula described as a staunch ally of Canadian Jews and Israel—along with party leader Pierre Poilievre.

“They’ve made their positions clear and without apology. Jews need that clarity,” Mula said. “Every time the prime minister or a sitting Liberal MP made negative statements about Israel, it dialed up the heat on Canadian Jews. It legitimized hate, undermined Zionism, and caused real damage.

“We need a government that supports Jews—and that includes supporting Israel,” she added.

Image - JNS/Canadian Women Against Antisemitism hold a rally in Toronto on March 25, 2024. Credit: Canadian FSWC.